Different
by cookiesofasgard
Summary: Sarah fled her home as a young child and was taken in by the Royal Family of Asgard. With no family or friends, Sarah is consumed by her fear of the Chitauri and has grown hostile. The adventures that follow Sarah lead to betrayal, love and facing her greatest fear. A/N: I do not own any of the characters from Thor or the Avengers. I do own Sarah. Rated M for future chapters
1. Prologue

The valley screamed with the sounds of a terrified village. People ran shouting from their homes, looking back to see swarms of Chitauri burning down their homes and brutally murdering their families. Parents could be seen shielding their children from the reptilian monsters before being cut down by the Chitauri's golden swords. Babies cried in their cots before being silenced for the last time as their houses were set alight. The beautiful Asgardian constellations were blotted out by thick smoke and the acrid smell of burning flesh. All that could be seen was a gaping blue portal directly above the village, pouring hundreds of Chitauri into the village.

For hours the Chitauri hunted down every last villager, for what reasons remained a mystery. In the early hours of the morning, the last villager was cut down, and the Chitauri returned to their universe through the portal.

Little did they know, the village was not as dead as it seemed.

**Hey Guys, I know it's really short but please read my first chapter, I promise it's not as boring. Also please R&R because I would really like some feedback. Criticism is welcome.**

**Now excuse me while I go destroy Jotunheim.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey Guys, How are you? I am still figuring out how to work this website so bear with me. I just made a few changes to this chapter. I changed Sarah's age to nearly 18 because the "Plot demands it!" (manly British voice). Any reviews and suggestions are greatly appreciated.**

**Happy Reading!**

_Fire. Fire everywhere. People screaming. Strange monsters doing things to my friends, my family. My body alight as I was trapped in my cot. A strange man carrying me hidden within his robes, smothering the flames licking my body. Surrounded by green leaves. A shadow appears in the cor-_

"Aaaaaaargh!"

I woke up with a scream, bolting upright. I flopped back down on my pillow, breathing heavily. It's been almost eighteen years since the night my life changed, and I still get nightmares every night without fail. Instead of trying to get back to sleep (I never can) I grab my satin dressing gown that was thrown over the day bed beside my window and wander out into wide corridors (like I do every night) of the palace of Asgard.

I don't remember much about that horrible night, mainly fire and screaming. The same sequence of events plays over in my nightmares each night. People later told me that I was found buried in the bushes as a small baby, covered in burns and close to death. As the sole survivor of what is called the _Chitauri Fire_, Odin, the King of Asgard, adopted me into the Royal Family, consisting of Odin, his wife Friga, their son Thor and adopted son Loki. Not that I get along with them very well. Sure, they talk to me, but they don't like me, I know it.

I wander through the empty corridors; few people are up at this time of night. I'm still amazed at how much gold is in this castle. The walls of the corridors are lined with it, along with the bedrooms and bathrooms.

I turn the last corner and reach the main kitchen. It's my favourite place to hide because of the huge size of the kitchen. It's bigger than three of the houses from the village that appears in my nightmares each night, plus it has so many corners and hidey holes that I still manage to find new ones, even after 18 years.

I grab one of the wine glasses from a huge cabinet and crack open one of the expensive Midgardian bottles of wine from the rack beside the glasses. Asgardian laws say I must be of age to drink alcohol but the Midgardian stuff is nowhere near as strong as Asgard's mead, so technically it's not that bad. I sit under one of the benches, where I have a clear view of the main entrance to the kitchen but am still hidden by rows of other benches in front of me.

Mid-sip I hear a slight creak from the cold room door. I would've missed it if it wasn't for my gifted hearing. I freeze, not daring to move. After a few minutes I hear no more and relax slightly. Then I hear a clink of metal-on-metal from the same place. This time I move quietly out from under the bench onto the floor. The whole bench tumbled as my dressing gown caught as I moved, creating a din as pots and pans crashed to the floor.

I ran deeper into the kitchen, twisting and turning around the benches I knew so well. I stopped as my body crashed into a solid wall, with the same clink I heard before. I fell over harshly, rubbing my nose. I glanced up, and then gasped. It was not a wall, it was Loki.

**So do you like it? Sorry about the suspense and shortness. My ideas for the story is that it starts off at around the same time as _Thor_ and then goes into the _Avengers. _School is hard so I will try very hard to get chapters up as often as I can. Don't forget to review****  
**

**Now excuse me while I go destroy Jotunheim.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hello! here is the new chapter and you may be happy to know it is longer than my other chapters. Please R&R**** because i am going to need some ideas soon  
**

**Happy Reading!**

I scrambled back quickly, wrapping my dressing gown tighter around my chest. I sometimes wonder whether Loki ever sleeps. He was garbed in leather, with a dark green cape and green and gold trimmings.

"And what would you, a member of the Royal Asgardian Family, be doing in a servant's kitchen?" Loki asked, moving slowly towards me. I could almost hear the mischief in his voice, like a snake slithering towards its prey.

I stood up, lifting my chin so I looked taller. I've never liked trying to match up to Loki's height of 6ft.

"I could ask you the same question." I retorted. I hate the way he treats me like a child. It hasn't always been like this though. He used to be like a big brother to me, until Odin told Loki that he was adopted. It didn't really help that Loki is the son of Laufey, the King of the Frost Giants that waged war against Asgard. Loki has turned bitter and hostile since he found out, not that I blame him.

"Oh Sarah, are you really that dim-witted?" Loki replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "A King can do as he pleases, and it pleases me to be here."

"Really? I thought you just kept the freezer cold with your Frost Giant powers." _Right in the sore spot_, I thought before immediately regretting that statement when a flash of anger appeared in his emerald eyes.

Loki advanced quickly towards me. I tried to run but his hand grabbed my neck, pushing me against the wall. My feet dangled in the air and I struggled for breath. My hands scrabbled at his long fingers, trying to prise them off me, but he was too strong.

"Do not undermine me, you quim," he spat, "I have no care for whether you are my sister or not. You are an ant, waiting to be stepped on. You have no place in Asgard, Midgardian."

His face contorted into a grimace before he released his hand, dropping me to the ground. I clutched at my throat, gulping the air.

Loki then walked out with long strides, not even glancing back at me. I gained some of my composure and stood up. My whole body was shaking but I was not cold. I walked slowly out of the kitchen, tears blurring my vision. Through the pain I wondered what Loki meant by his last word. Was it a mistake that he said I was from Midgard? Somehow I thought not.

Back at my chambers I stumbled into the ensuite bathroom and searched through all the draws for the healing elixir that Friga gave me for my birthday last year. I found the small golden bottle and pulled the cork off. It was stuck.

"Great," I muttered. I heard a knocking on the double doors to my bedroom. I swore under my breath and pulled my dressing gown up higher, to cover the dark bruises appearing on my neck. Feigning drowsiness I opened one of the doors a crack and peeked my eyes through, hiding my neck.

A servant stared back at me with large, brown eyes. Jana was assigned as my personal maid when I was adopted into the family. She basically raised me.

"Ma'am, are you okay?"

I snapped out of my daze, shaking my head.

"Yes, of course," I replied nonchalantly, making sure my neck was completely behind the door, "why do you ask?"

"Well Ma'am, I could not help but see you walking in the corridors. You do not need to feign drowsiness around me. I know you still have nightmares but you should definitely not be walking around the castle at night. You could get into big trouble and you know that."

"I know Jada. If you haven't noticed I happen to be under Odin's protection so rules don't tend to apply to me. Could you please just leave me alone?"

"No. Now let me in and tell me what is going on. If _you_ have not noticed I raised you so I do not know why you even try hiding anything from me."

"I should probably get some sle-"

Jada pushed open the door, hitting the bruises now becoming abundant on my neck and making me gasp in pain, dropping the dressing gown covering the atrocities. Jada barged in, her eyes bulging when she saw my exposed injuries. Her jaw dropped.

"Sarah! What in the nine realms happened to you?"

My head dropped and I sighed. I couldn't work my way out of this one.

"Sarah?"

"It was Loki."

"Ah, I understand." She nodded.

"You understand? How could you understand?" I shouted, my voice breaking.

"Calm down Sarah, I am far older than you know. Loki is over a thousand years old and I have a seen his actions and have felt his wrath more times than I can count. Trust me, this is not out of character, if not slightly more erratic than usual."

I broke down, not able to hold in the pain and anger and confusion. My body racked with my sobs, and Jada rushed over to comfort me.

Another knock came on the door, a lot louder than Jada's.

"Open up!" A voice shouted from the other side of the door. A man's voice.

Jada covered my mouth, silencing my sobs. We both didn't dare to move, tense seconds passing by. The door smashed open, the wooden panels blown apart by a bright blue light. Jada screamed as three men ran in, garbed in clothes similar to the guards. The first man slapped Jada with a gloved hand, knocking her to the ground. The other two advanced towards me, mouths in threatening snarls. A sharp pain appeared in the back of my head, setting my ears ringing. The first man had snuck around to my back while the others distracted me. I forgot about him.

I dropped to my knees, eyes glazed over. The last thing I saw was Jada shouting something at me and the men reaching their menacing hands out towards me. Then blackness.

**Ah, the suspense! So I am trying not to make this too boring so apologies if you were starting to fall asleep before the 'mysterious men' came in. Do you think that Loki would say those kind of things, because I had a lot of fun writing about him but it was really hard because I've read many fics where I just don't think they've nailed his personality. Let me know what you think?**

**Now excuse me while I go destroy Jotunheim.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hello! Sorry it's been a while but I've been pretty busy. So this chapter has a lot going on so enjoy!**

**Happy Reading!  
**

"_Did you get the Midgardian?"_

_A creature stood on a barren wasteland, shrouded in cold darkness. It was garbed in long robes, and a golden mask covered most of his face. All that could be seen was a row of sharp teeth and blue, lined skin surrounding its mouth. It was called The Other. Before The Other was a man kneeling on the ground, head bowed. He lifted his head._

"_Yes," Loki replied, a smirk on his face, "I'm sure the rewa-"_

"_Silence!" It hissed. Its voice seemed to echo eerily around Loki, whispering in his ears long after the echoes were gone. "My patience is short. I have plans for you, Frost Giant, and rewards will not be given if you fail. Pain and misery will follow you either way, but whether it comes to you is dependent on your success."_

_The Other stalked towards Loki. "Bring the girl here or suffer the consequences." _

_He reached his hand out and pulled Loki's head to the side. Loki disappeared._

Loki's POV

I walked down the corridor. Servants averted their gazes when I walked by. Apparently Frost Giants are only dangerous when you actually _know _they're Frost Giants. _At least they recognise real power when they see it._

My long strides led me down a flight of elaborately carved stairs, gold of course, before taking a sharp left into a narrow, dark length of path. I am the only one who knows about this; illusions are simple to create with practice.

The sounds of my footsteps echo off the cold walls, until I stopped at an iron door. I pulled a key out of breast plate of my armour and turned the lock. With a creak I opened the door, stepping inside. I quickly closed the door again, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. A rustling came from my right.

"AAAAGH!" Sarah jumped out with a scream, landing on my back. I stumbled as her hands wrapped around my neck tightly.

"You!" she growled. "You put me in this hell hole! Three days. Three days without food, water, light. Where is Odin? Friga? How dare you, you lying little-"

I flipped her over my shoulder, her body slamming on the ground.

"Ah, sister, I seem to have underestimated your… skills. Tell me, where did you learn such skill; technique?"

"Do not trifle with me Loki. I knew you were up to something. You are a_lways _up to something. Now let me go or I swear I will slit your throat."

This Sarah is not the Sarah I was raised with. Of course she was always hostile, but _murderous_? What happened while she was here? No, something is different.

Sarah's POV

A clicking noise came from the door. My head shot up, staring intently at the lock from where I was curled up in the corner and the cold, damp room. I moved quickly to the opposite corner behind the door as it opened with a loud creak. Whoever put me here is going to pay, I thought as all the memories of the past few days flooded back into my mind.

_Pushed into a corner, my head slammed into the wall. Blood trickling down my forehead and a scream echoing off the walls. Darkness. Tears streaming down my face. Guards returning with fists and whips. Gritted teeth and clenched hands. Bruises and cuts. Groping hands. Darkness._

A man walked in. It's Loki? Sure, he loses his temper easily, but why would he want to kidnap me? Not to mention have his guards abuse me. The God walking through this door is not the God I once knew. Something snapped in my brain as I realised he was responsible for my pain and suffering.

"AAAAGH!" I shouted as I jumped at him, my anguish being released. I wrapped my arms around his throat, not caring what damage I caused, as long as it was great. He would feel what I had felt in this cell.

"You!" I growled. "You put me in this hell hole! Three days. Three days without food, water, light. Where is Odin? Friga? How dare you, you lying little-"

I was cut off as Loki flipped me over his shoulder and onto the ground. I gasped in shock and pain as the cuts on my back opened, fresh blood seeping through my clothes.

"Ah, sister, I seem to have underestimated your… skills. Tell me, where did you learn such, technique?"

His sarcasm only angers me further.

"Do not trifle with me Loki. I knew you were up to something. You are a_lways _up to something. Now let me go or I swear I will slit your throat." A faint voice in my mind was trying to shout at me, but I pushed it back, my mind filled with a desire for revenge.

Loki pauses for a second, a sense of something flashes across his eyes. Confusion? Regret? It passes quickly though, a smirk returning to his face. He laughs.

"Of course, I would expect nothing less from a warrior as fine as yourself. I wish you good luck."

I ran at him, my muscles screaming at me to stop, but adrenalin took over my body. I took a swipe at his neck, teeth bared. He blocked it easily with his arm, taking a shot at my ribs with his other hand. I grunted before another blow landed on my shoulder, knocking me to my knees. I swayed, my eyes out of focus. I blinked furiously as Loki stepped in front of me. He pulled something out from under his cape.

"I regret to do this, Sarah." Loki whispered before a black leather bag was pulled roughly over my head. I tried to scream before I realised the leather blocked all sound. A sharp pain came to the back of my head before I was knocked unconscious for the fourth time that week.

**Oooh. I know, not as much of a cliffhanger as the last chapter but for future reference you should expect a cliffhanger. So where do you think Loki is taking Sarah? I know I said that this story was about Sarah's internal struggles but things changed. Let me know what you think?**

**Now excuse me while I go destroy Jotunheim.**


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